The best vitamin D supplements to support your immune system right now

Vitamin D is being recommended to reduce the risk of coronavirus - time to stock up!

We’ve long known that in the UK we need to supplement vitamin D in winter as our paltry sun isn't sufficient for us to make the levels we need. This week the NHS revised its guidelines from supplementing daily in the winter months to include Covid-19 lockdown as well. "Consider taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day to keep your bones and muscles healthy. This is because you may not be getting enough vitamin D from sunlight if you’re indoors most of the day," it says.

Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium and phosphorus absorption, immunity and regulation of mood. The British Medical Journal, in a recent statement on Covid-19, singled out vitamin D as beneficial for the immune system during the pandemic. "Vitamin D3 plays a key role in the immune systems, the highly complex mechanisms in the body that are designed to help protect people against a host of infectious agents, including bacteria and viruses."

It said we should all be taking essential micronutrients, especially, vitamin D to support our immune system and reduce the spread and effects of the disease. "Their contribution to the resilience of the population to the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly vitamin D, should have higher priority for both patients, all medical and care home staff as well as the general population."

Rob Hobson, registered nutritionist and head of nutrition for Healthspan, points out that 10µg (micrograms) is the minimum amount we should be consuming and that most vitamin D supplements have 25µg or 1000IU of vitamin D, which is safe for everyone age 12 and over. Some have a high-strength dose of 75µg /3000IU and up to 5000IU can be prescribed for deficiency by a specialist - but always stick to the label guidelines, as it is possible to have too much.

An important source of vitamin D is of course diet, however, if you're vegan, you'll likely be aware that it can be extra hard to get your daily allowance of vitamin D that way owing to the fact that much vitamin D is derived from oily fish and dairy products. Many vitamin D supplements aren't vegan friendly either as the form used is made from lanolin derived from sheep's wool.

What to look for in a good vitamin D supplement

When choosing your vitamin D supplement, look for D3, the most readily absorbable form of vitamin D, advises Rob. Nutritional Therapist Daniel O'Shaughnessy advises that taking it in drop form as oil helps the absorption as "vitamin D is a fat-soluble hormone" (yes it's actually a hormone).

How to take it is down to personal choice, advises Rob Hobson. “Take it in the way that you know you will stick with - gummies or sprays are good for most people,” he says. “As we get older, our absorption in the gut slows down so sprays are good from middle age onwards as they are absorbed through the lining of mouth into the bloodstream.”

One slightly confusing thing about vitamin D is how it’s measured. You might see it in micrograms/μg or in IU (International Units, used to measure the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K).

Best vegan and oil drop vitamin D supplement

This vegan vitamin D3 is in a base of sunflower seed oil and natural orange oil to give it a pleasant taste. You can take it directly in the mouth or add to food or drinks. Much vitamin D on the market is derived from sheep's wool making it unsuitable for vegans. This one is derived from lichen. Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so an oil base gives superior absorption.

Best gluten-free vitamin D supplement

Not all supplements are gluten-free (check individual packaging), but these ones reliably are. Vegan too, they contain bioactive vegan and plant-based vitamin D3 from sustainably harvested lichen in a base of coconut oil for improved absorption and are free from allergens and additives wheat and gluten.

Best vitamin D sprays

Another great vitamin D3 choice for people who don’t like swallowing pills is a sublingual (under the tongue) spray. Not only does it negate the need to take capsules, but the absorption rate may be also up to 2.6 times higher than when taken in a capsule, says the brand.

One spritz this peppermint flavour spray straight under your tongue for a convenient way to take your daily hit of vitamin D3. It's suitable for during pregnancy and breastfeeding and for those on a vegetarian and diabetic diet. Retailer Victoriahealth.com has reported a recent surge in sales of this along with zinc along with other immune supplements such as zinc, vitamin C,astragalus and a multi-greens powder called Life Drink by Terranova.

Best vitamin D supplements for children

Suitable from three years old, this is the kids' version of the vitamin D3 best-selling spray. Doctors advise against supplementing children with anything not specifically designed for children. There’s also a spray for children from six months old with an orange flavour.

Designed for children aged three to seven, these gummies provide the exact level of vitamin D as recommended by the UK Department of Health for young children - the strawberry flavour and Peppa Pi endorsement don't hurt either!

The doctor-approved vitamin D supplement

In a recent Instagram postDr Sophie Shotter an aesthetician who has returned to frontline NHS work during the Covid-19 pandemic, revealed this to be her D of choice as it also contains vitamins A and K2 - if you’ve been supplementing vitamin D for a long time, it can deplete your levels of vitamins A and K, so vitamin D3 complete contains those as well to keep you balanced. It’s sold out many places at the moment, but keep your eyes peeled for a restock on Amazon

Best vitamin D for menopause

Rather on the pricey side, we know, but not only do they look chic, this super-supplement provides the bodywith vitamin D3 combined with K2, a crucial combination for building calcium into the bones. Menopause causes a drop in bone density. It uses Vita Algae D3, a sustainable vegan source of D3 derived from algae (although the supplement itself contains non-vegan ingredients, although it is vegetarian).

Best gummy vitamin D supplement

For people who find taking vitamins a chore or have trouble swallowing pills, gummies are a great option - and make you want to keep up the daily habit. These are a tasty way to up your vitamin D3 levels and have no added sugar - there’s just 0.1g per gummy of naturally occurring sugars. You need to take one per day. Not recommended for children under five.

Best vitamin D supplement for pregnancy

On top of 400µg of folic acid and zinc, this food-state formula also contains vitamin D3 to help support the immune system and the development of baby's bones and provide energy. It's vegetarian, gluten-free and contains no artificial colours. The recommended dosage is three capsules per day.

Best drinkable vitamin D supplement

How much vitamin D: 25ug / 1000IU per tabletIf you prefer to drink your supplements we'd like to point you in the direction of this effervescent tablet - it has a zesty citrus flavour add a pep to your mornings.

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